Box partitioning



` 25 hereinafter referred to, the invention con- Patented Dec. 16, 1930UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEON E. LA BOMBARD, or WALTHAM, AND MELvINH. SIDEBOTHAM, OE WEST NEW'- TON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOES To SPECIALTYAUTOMATIC MACHINE COMPANY, E CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION 0EAIVIASSACHUSETTS Box PARTITIONING Application led December 2,- 1929.ASerial No. 411,030.

This invention relates to partitions of the folding or collapsible typeadapted to be so opened or set up and placed Vin boxes as to formsubstantially square cells or pockets for receiving fragile articlessuch as eggs, or other articles. Partitions of this type are usuallymade of pasteboard in the form of strips'pa'rtially slotted or slittedtransversely toenable the Stripsto cross each other and be interengaged.

While the material of which paper box partitioning'is made is'of a quiteinexpensive grade, yet when the production runs up into the millions thecost is' considerable. For this reason the principal object of ourpresent invention is to vreduce the amount of material required to makethe Strips.

Another object of the invention is to provide 4box partitioning which isattractive in designtso that when a packed box is opened the presence ofthe partitioning will add to,

rath-er than detract from, the display of eggs or other articles in thecells or pockets. With the above objects in view, and others sists inthe partitioning substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Ofthe accompanying drawings I: w Figures land 2 are elevations of thetwo lengths of strips employed for makin a partition'ing unit of thekind illustrated y Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a complete unit ready for insertion inthe long formof box commonly employed.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts or features in allof the views.

'- Each strip a, or `b has a Iseries-of concavities in one edge and aseries of convexities in its opposite edge. The edgeof each concavity isstraight'at its mid-length as-'illustrated at c, and at both ends of thestraight portion is ogee-shaped, as at 0. The edge ofeach convexity isstraight at its mid-length as .illustrated at d and at both ends of thestraightA portion is ogee-shaped, as at d.'

Alternatingwith the convexities d d. vare notches the portions e` ofwhich have divergwidth of the strip. The spaces between the edges e arenarrow, substantially equalling the thickness of the material ofwhich't'he the opp-osite edges of the strips are the result of cuttingor dieing out those portions of the vstrips which have the recesses e.

All of the strips are 4alike 4except as to length, and when assembled asillustrated by and the recesses which alternate with the oonstrips aremade. The shallow notches f in v vexiti'es a7.,- result in the edges ofthe Strips having a somewhat scalloped appearance which, as shown byFigure 3, is quite attrace tive. This matter of appearance however isnot the chief advantage of the form or structure of the strips. V

In themanufacture of the strips they are so cut or died outvthat thestraightl and ogee-shaped edges c, c', correspon-.d with the straightand ogee-shaped edges d, d. When a sheet or web of material is beingIdivided to form the strips, the line of cut which forms the edges c,c', of one strip forms,

at thevsame time,the edges d, d', of the next strip. Thereis veryIlittle waste. In practice we find that a saving is effected ofapproximately 17 percent of the material, overnwhat is required whenStrips are formed with one edge str'aight as fin lLetters Patent No.

- 1,534,006 granted to ns April 14, 1925.

When the strips are assembled to form partitlonlng units such asillustrated by Figlure 3, the notches e, .e, of the strips interengage,-Such assembling is facilitated by the Haring notches e the divergingside edges ofwhich guide the members 'which are pushed .thereinto.' When`the crossing members are pushed to final assembled position, thestraight spaced- 'edges e of each notch receive between them an uncutportion of a crosslng strip. t g

Each strip has straighted'ge portions alternating with recesses, saidstraight portions providing'for4 lirm, steady, bearing on the bottom ofthe box in which a unit is lolil cated. And this is true whichever way aunit or collection of strips is inserted in a box. This is because everystrip,whether a longitudinal one or atransverse one, has a seriesof.straigl1t-edge portions d along one edge, and another series ofshorter straightedge portions which are interrupted by the small notchesf long its opposite edge. Such multiplicity of straight bearingedgesprevents the existence of any curved vbearing edges which are soflexible as to be subject to lateral bending. And yet the strips havesuch concavities and convexities as to c'ect a very material saving inthe cost of production. And furthermore, since the notches e, e extendin from the bottoms of concave edge portions, their presence can nothave any weakening effect on the opposite edge convexities which bear onthe bottom of a box.

The result of this structure is that when thecrossed strips areassembled and pushed to the bottom of a box, the pressure caused by thedownward movement of the frictionally inter-engaged notches e, e istransmitted to convex portions of the strips. And

since the edges of said convex portions are so shaped as to presentelongated bearings on the bottom4 ot the box, there is little or notendency of said convex portions to bend or curl up ldue to contact withthe bottom of the box.

Having now described our invention, we claim: Y

.-1. Box partitioning comprising twosets of strips crossing each` other,both edges of each strip presenting alternating convexities andconcavities, the convex portions of one edgev being opposite 4theconcave portlons of.

' the otheredge, and one edge of each strip having notches alternatingwith its convexities,the` middle portions of the convexities andconcavities presenting straight edge portions, there beingonly onestraight projecting edge of substantial length on each strip for eachpocket whereby an elongated bear- -ing foot is provided.

2. Box partitioning, comprising two sets ofstrips crossing each other,both edges of each strip presenting alternating convexities andconcavitiesthe convex portions of one edge being opposite the concaveportions of the other edge, and one Vedge of each strip having notchesalternating with its convexities, themiddle portions of the convexitiesand concavities presenting straight edge portions, there being only onestraight project-` ing edge osubstantial length on each strip for eachpocket whereby an elongated bearing foot is provided the edge portionswhich connect the convexities and concavities being ogee-shaped.

In .testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures.

LEON E. LA BOMBARD. MELVIN H. SIDEBOTHAM.

